1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to discharge valves for releasing gaseous, liquid, or dry material from a pressurized storage vessel, and in particular, to a remotely-operated single-action discharge valve for releasing material from a pressurized storage vessel.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
It is often desired to provide a discharge valve to release a material, such as a gas or liquid or mixture thereof, or a dry material or powder, from a pressurized vessel, and it is further desirable to have such a valve be remotely actuated. Often, the material to be released is corrosive and may corrode the internal components of the valve over time prior to actuation of the valve. Prior art approaches are known that use an explosive charge to cause a piston to drive a piercing element through a valve seal, and such approaches are undesirable if used with a flammable discharge material that might ignite.
It is therefore desirable to have a single-action discharge valve that can be remotely actuated to discharge the contents of a vessel under pressure. It is further desirable that internal components of the valve not be exposed prior to actuation to the pressurized material to be released. Applications for such a valve include release of fire extinguishing material, release of counter-agents in biological and chemical warfare laboratories, and emergency release of fuel in airplanes and boats. When used for emergency release of fuel or other liquids, the valve can be used to discharge from a port on a bottom region of a vessel such as, for example, a fuel tank, and the weight of the liquid in the vessel provides pressure to discharge through the valve, and it is desirable that such a valve have a design that permits scaling from small to large sizes to accommodate a desired discharge rate.
A preliminary patentability search produced the following patents and patent publications, some of which may be relevant to the present invention: Sundholm et al., U.S. Patent Application publication 2005/011552, published Jan. 20, 2005; Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,180, issued Dec. 10, 1974; Rozniecki, U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,237, issued Oct. 28, 1975; Zehr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,780, issued Feb. 8, 1977; Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,681, issued Jul. 6, 1999; Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,383, issued Dec. 26, 2000; Ahlers, U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,940, issued Jun. 21, 2005; and McLane, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,950, issued Oct. 10, 2006.
Additionally, the following patent references are also known: Hardesty, U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,892, issued Oct. 5, 1976; Wittbrodt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,680, issued Jan. 16, 1990; Swanson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,592, issued Apr. 5, 1994; James, U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,624, issued Feb. 20, 2001; and Grabow, U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,404, issued Sep. 16, 2003.
Sundholm et al., U.S. Patent Application publication 2005/011552, at FIG. 2, discloses an explosive charge that propels a piercing element to pierce a disk, and FIG. 3 discloses a pressure-driven piston that causes a piercing element to pierce a disk. Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,180, discloses an explosive detonator that causes a pin to pierce a valve seal and release a fire-extinguishing medium under pressure. Rozniecki, U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,237, discloses a ruptureable disc that is pierced by a cutting annulus that is moved by an explosive charge. At column 1, lines 45 to 50, Rozniecki discloses use of infrared and ultraviolet sensors to sense fire. Hardesty, U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,892, discloses an explosive valve having an electrical detonator that shears a diaphragm seal. Zehr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,780, discloses a rupturing head for fire extinguishers wherein a fusible link melts and causes a spring-loaded punch to rupture a sealing disk. Wittbrodt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,680, discloses sensors for a fire suppressant system and, at column 3, lines 27-30, discloses the use of solenoid and explosive-activated squib valves. Swanson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,592, discloses an electrically-operated valve having a spring-biased check valve with a solenoid-actuated pilot valve. Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,681, discloses a fire extinguishing system for automotive vehicles in which an explosive squib propels a pin extending axially from a piston to puncture a sealed outlet of a cylinder, thereby releasing extinguishing material, and an alternate embodiment discloses using a solenoid to propel the piston and pin. Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,383, has a similar disclosure to Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,681, and additionally discloses control circuitry with sensors. Ahlers, U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,940, discloses a valve in which a pressure cartridge actuator is used to cause a pressure wave that ruptures a frangible disc to release fire suppressant material. James, U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,624, discloses a fire extinguisher in which a matchhead detonator, of the type used in pyrotechnic devices, is used to move a piston with a sharp spike so that the spike ruptures a diaphragm and causes release of fire suppressant material. Grabow, U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,404, discloses a fire extinguisher piping system below deck in an aircraft, with discharge nozzles in the passenger and crew compartments. McLane, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,950, discloses a manual discharge fire suppression system in combination with either an electrically-operated explosive squib or an electrically-driven solenoid that moves a piston from a retracted position to a extended position, thereby causing a ram with a piercing member to pierce a seal and cause a fire suppressant to be released.
None of these references, either singly or in combination, disclose or suggest the present invention.